Device for holding and moving chains for liquid treatment thereof



Aug. 13, 1968 c RlNKER ET AL DEVICE FOR HOLDING AND MOVING CHAINS FOR LIQUID TREATMENT THEREOF 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 28, 1965 Fred Gilbert 2% MM ATTORNEYS.

Aug. 13, 1968 E, c. RINKER ET AL 3,397,134

DEVICE FOR HOLDING AND MOVING CHAINS FOR LIQUID TREATMENT THEREOF Flled June 28, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I lNVENTO/PS FIG.2 Edwin C.Rinker a Fred Gilbert ATTORNEYS.

United tates Patent 3,397,134 DEVHCE FOR HOLDING AND MOVING CHAINS FOR LIQUID TREATMENT THEREOF Edwin C. Rinker, Morristown, and Frederick M. Gilbert,

Ramsey, N.J., assignors to Sel-Rex Corporation, Nutley, N .J a corporation of New .1 ersey Filed June 28, 1965, Ser. No. 467,619 4 Claims. (Cl. 2414-212) This invention relates to an apparatus for liquid treating chains and similar elongate metal or electrically conductive articles composed of a multiplicity of links and more particularly it relates to a device for treating chains to one or more electroplating operations.

The electroplating of delicate chains presents a problem in barrel plating, since the tumbling action tends to cluster and knot the chain into a tangled ball. This results in damaged chain, a time consuming job untangling the chain, and non-uniform or partial electroplating on the chain. The other present method is to rack each chain individually on a plating fixture. This method becomes time consuming and expensive in large production quantities. Without complex fixtures it is impossible to obtain uniform electroplated deposits with present methods. It is also nearly impossible to eliminate bare or thin spots in the electroplated coating where each link makes electrical contact with the next link with present methods.

Among the objects of the present invention is to provide an apparatus which supports chains for movement in a liquid medium in such a way as to eliminate tangling of the chains and also eliminates thin or bare spots on the plated product.

The objects of the invention are attained by providing a spool with a plurality of hook contacts at each end thereof and with at least one intermediate disk-like support and contact means for chains held on the hooks. The spool is provided with means for rotating the same with its axis in a horizontal plane while immersed in an electroplating bath. Electric current is supplied to the hook and other contacts through the axis of the spool. Preferably one or more chains to be plated are attached at their ends to a chain pin and the chain pins are attached to a pair of hooks at opposite ends of the spool so that said chains make contact with the electrodes at the ends of the spools through the chain pins and hooks and said chains make contact with the disk-like supports when travelling over the upper part of the spool. As the spool rotates the points of contact with the disk-like contact means, and the relationship of the links with respect to each other, constantly change. The rotation of the spool and chains attached thereto also provides effective agitation and renewal of electrolyte in the region of the chains.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the device fitted into a frame for rotating the same and immersed in an electroplating bath.

FIG. 2 is a detail view partly in cross-section, of a modified form of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of another modified form of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a detail plan view of a contact element of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is an end view of the spool itself from the gearcontaining end.

FIG. 6 is a detail view showing how hooks are attached to the ends of the spool.

FIG. 7 is a detail view of a chain pin.

The spool, chain-holding device 20 of the invention is shown as a device which can be fitted into the frame 10 for holding and rotating a plating barrel. Thus, frame 10 comprises two side supports 11 and 12 containing holes Patented Aug. 13, 1968 13 and 14 adapted to receive the plastic bearings 21 and 22 of the spool. The frame may have an eyelet 15 for lifting the same and includes a support means 16 for a motor 17 which rotates one or more gears 18 and 19 one of which is adapted to mesh with the gear 23 of the spool 20. The whole frame is adapted to be immersed in a bath 40 containing electroplating liquid or other liquids associated with the electroplating processes.

Extending substantially all the way through the axis of the spool 20 is the conductor element 24 which may be connected to a suitable source of electrical energy through conductor 42 shown only diagrammatically. Conductor 24 is covered over most of its lengths by electrically insulating plastic tubes 25 and 26. Although solid plastic tubes are shown, the conductor can be covered by any suitable insulation as a layer of plastic coating composition or an insulating tape, for example. The spool rims 27 and 28 comprise an internal conducting means 29 and 30 suitably covered with insulating material. Thus, rim 23 comprises the conducting disk 30 surrounded on its two sides by plastic disks 31 and 32 and closed at the end by a ring 33. The ring 33 forms a filler material by which rings 31 and 32 are cemented together. Rim 27 is formed similarly to rim 28. Although conducting means 29 and 30 are shown as disks, they may take the forms of spiders with spokes extending from a hub-like center portion. Although the plastic disks 31, 32 and ring 33 make a very attractive cover for a contact disk 30, it is obvious that the disk 30 may be provided with other non-conducting coatings. A satisfactory coating may be formed, for example, by dipping the disk in a plastic coating compound or by a fluidized bed coating process. In fact, the metal parts can be assembled and coated as a unit with plastic by dipping or by the fluidized bed process. The disks 29 and 30 preferably have openings formed therein prior to applying the non-conducting layers thereto. Hook elements of a type having spring-like bases are conductively secured to the inner conducting disk or spider 29 or 30 on the inside of the rim 27 or 28 by suitable means such as screws 50' (see FIG. 6). Where disks 29 and 30 are coated by a fluidized bed or dipping process, the hooks 50 may be secured to the disks 29 and 30 prior to coating.

The central, chain-supporting disk 34 comprises a central conducting disk 35 which makes electrical contact with conductor 24 and which is flanked on its two sides by non-conducting disks 36 and 37 of smaller diameter than disk 35 so that the periphery of disk 35 is exposed for contact with an intermediate portion of a chain being plated. Spacer elements 38 and 39 are provided between bearings 21 and 22 and the rims 28 and 27, respectively.

The tubes 25, 26, rims 27, 28, spacer elements 38, 39 and bearings 21 and 22 are preferably cemented together at their contacting surfaces. The gear ring 23 is also cemented to the rim 27.

To facilitate loading the spool 20, one or more chains 60-1, 60-2, 60-3, etc., are attached at their ends to the chain pins 61 show in detail in FIG. 7. Chain pin 61 has a prong 62 held by hook keeper 63 and also has loops 64 and 65 either of which may be threaded on hook 50. Chain pins 61 can be omitted where only one chain per pair of hooks 50 is required.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, a plurality of intermediate contact disks 351 to 354 may be employed especially where longer chains are to be plate-d.

FIG. 3 shows a chain-plating spool with two chaincontacting disks 541 and 542 having crenulated peripheries. Preferably, the number of crenulations 55 in the disks 544 and 54-2 correspond to the number of hooks 50 on the spool rims 27'. The crenulations 55 as shown in detail in FIG. 4 are deep enough to tend to retain the chains attached to a particular pair of chain pins within those crenulations which correspond to or are more or less in alignment with the hooks 50 on the rims of the spool.

In practice, chains to be plated are attached at their ends to a pair of chain pins 61 and the chain pins are attached to a corresponding pair of hooks 50 on the rims 27, 28 of the spool, the chain suspension being loose enough to make contact with the central disk 35 (or disks) when the spool is in a position with its axis horizontal and the chain is in position on the upper part of the spool. The spool when loaded with chains to be plated is positioned in a suitable pool-holding and rotating means such as the frame 10 of FIG. 1, and may be transported through a complete electroplating system such as used in barrel plating and which may include cleaning, rinsing, flash plating, electroplating, rinsing, etc.

The features and principles underlying the invention described above in connection with specific exemplifications will suggest to those skilled in the art many other modifications thereof. It is accordingly desired that the appended claims shall not be limited to any specific feature or details thereof.

We claim:

1. Ina device for subjecting chains to liquid treatment such as electroplating operations, an improved chain-holding and moving device comprising,

a spool comprising a core with two end rims and at least one centrally positioned disk extending peripherally from the core,

conductor means extending through the core between the rims thereof,

each of said rims comprising a conductor element with a central portion making electrical contact with said conductor means and with portions extending radially from the central portion to approximately the edge thereof,

the conductor elements of said rims and said core being substantially completely covered with electrically nonconducting material,

a plurality of electrically conducting hook means extending from the conductor elements of a first of said rims toward the second rim,

a similar number of electrically conducting hook means on said second rim whereby a chain may be suspended be-tween said rims by attaching the end regions thereof to a pair of said hooks on opposite rims,

said centrally positioned disk comprising a conductor element extending from the conducting means on said core to the periphery of the disk,

portions of the said centrally positioned disk between the core conducting means and adjacent to but short of the periphery being covered by electrically nonconducting material.

2. The device as claimed in claim 1 comprising at least two centrally positioned disks with conducting peripheries.

3. The device as claimed in claim 1 wherein said centrally positioned disk has a crenulated periphery, the crenulators thereof corresponding in number to the number of hook means on one of said rims.

4. The device as claimed in claim 1 comprising in combination :a plurality of pairs of chain pins, each adapted to retain a number of chain ends, for connecting a plurality of chains to each pair of hooks On opposite ends of the spool.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 907,426 12/1908 Van Winkle et a1. 204-212 1,347,089 7/1920 Greenwalt 204-2l2 1,886,277 11/1932 Winkler 204--28 2,245,335 6/1941 Frey 204-23 2,572,838 10/1951 Cohn 204 -23 3,314,877 4/1967 Novitsky 204297 FOREIGN PATENTS 540,005 10/ 1941 Great Britain.

JOHN H. MACK, Primary Examiner.

W. VAN SISE, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN A DEVICE FOR SUBJECTING CHAINS TO LIQUID TREATMENT SUCH AS ELECTROPLATING OPERATIONS, AN IMPROVED CHAIN-HOLDING AND MOVING DEVICE COMPRISING, A SPOOL COMPRISING A CORE WITH TWO END RIMS AND AT LEAST ONE CENTRALLY POSITIONED DISK EXTENDING PERIHERALLY FROM THE CORE, CONDUCTOR MEANS EXTENDING THROUGH THE CORE BETWEEN THE RIMS THEREOF, EACH OF SAID RIMS COMPORISING A CONDUCTOR ELEMENT WITH A CENTRAL PORTION MAKING ELECRICAL CONTACT WITH SAID CONDUCTOR MEANS AND WITH PORTIONS EXTENDING RADIALLY FROM THE CENTRAL PORTION TO APPROXIMATELY THE EDGE THEREOF, THE CONDUCTOR ELEMENTS OF SAID RIMS AND SAID CORE BEING SUBSTANTIALLY COMPLETELY COVERED WITH ELECTRICALLY NONCONDUCTING MATERIAL, A PLURALITY OF ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTING HOOK MEANS EXTENDING FROM THE CONDUCTOR ELEMENTS OF A FIRST OF SAID RIMS TOWARD THE SECOND RIM, A SIMILAR NUMBER OF ELECTRICALLY CONDUCTING HOOK MEANS ON SAID SECOND RIM WHEREBY A CHAIN MAY BE SUSPENDED BETWEEN SAID RIMS BY ATTACHING THE END REGIONS THEREOF TO A PAIR OF SAID HOOKS ON OPPOSITE RIMS, SAID CENTRALLY POSITIONED DISK COMPRISING A CONDUCTOR ELEMENT EXTENDING FROM THE CONDUCTING MEANS ON SAID CORE TO THE PERIPHERY OF THE DISK, PORTIONS OF THE SIAD CENTRALLY LPOSITIONED DISK BETWEEN THE CORE CONDUCTING MEANS AND ADJACENT TO BUT SHORT OF THE PERIPHERY BEING COVERED BY ELECTRICALLY NONCONDUCTING MATERIAL. 